| Abstract | The UK sex offender register is integral to the public protection system, albeit an elusive tool to evaluate. This project analysed qualitative data from 64 professionals from criminal justice agencies and examined how the register effectively protects the public, and, more pertinently for the purposes of this article, how it could be made more productive. A recurring theme was its incremental growth – an inevitable trend given the length of registration. Participants explained the difficulties in monitoring an ever-increasing population with static resources and expressed doubts that it was purposeful or proportionate to cast the net so wide. Various solutions were suggested, including relaxation of current rules governing indefinite registration, and reducing or removing registration for certain cases, particularly those convicted for first time minor sexual assaults or possession of indecent images of children. |
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